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Hello!
One of the things we are often asked is "What can I grow in a shady part of the garden?"
Well, the answer is - a surprising amount!
Shade certainly throws up some challenges,
but that doesn't mean you can't grow your own fruits and vegetables there.
In this video will show you what can be grown in shady parts of the garden
and share some top tips of the trade for maximizing the light your garden does receive.
Even shady gardens will normally receive at least a couple of hours' sunshine a day.
The secret to coping with shade is to make the most of these windows of direct sunlight.
In most climates, seedlings need as much light as possible in order to start off strongly.
so prioritize the sunniest parts of the garden for your seedlings.
Grow them in pots and module trays within cold frames
or start seedlings off in a seedbed, then transplant them to another part of your garden
once they are bigger and better able to cope with lower light levels.
If you're starting seeds early in the season, using full spectrum grow lights indoors
can give them an early boost before you gradually introduce them to the outdoors.
Make the most of available light by reflecting it into shadier parts of the garden.
Paint walls and fences white, or add mirrors and other reflective surfaces
such as shiny metal or foil to bounce light back into these darker areas.
It's important to remember that shadier corners will be slower to warm up in the spring,
so use cold frames, cloches and row covers to warm up the soil earlier on in spring.
They can also be used to extend the growing season later on in the autumn.
Slugs and snails can be more of a problem in shady areas,
so set up plenty of beer traps and delay laying mulches until the weather has properly warmed up.
There's a lot you can grow in shade.
Leafy crops such as lettuce, arugula or rocket, chard and kale
will be more than happy with just three to four hours of sunshine a day.
For areas that receive morning sun, then afternoon shade,
try vegetables such as carrots, celery and dwarf or bush beans.
Look for areas which receive sunlight above ground level.
Areas that are shaded in the morning but sunny by afternoon
are perfect for climbing vegetables like beans, climbing peas and outdoor cucumbers
which, given the correct supports, can grow upwards out of the shade and into the sunshine.
Never overcrowd plants.
Allow plenty of space between plants to help maximize light penetration,
which in turn will reduce the risk of disease.
Currants, gooseberries and sour (or acid) cherries are the best fruits to grow in shade.
Rather than allowing them to form bush shapes, train them against a wall
as single stemmed cordons, or as fans.
Training the stems this way ensures the branches are well-spaced, so that
light can reach all parts of the plant, rather than just the edges.
Walls and fences can also be painted white to reflect light back onto the leaves.
You can give them a further boost by allowing a little more room than normal -
an additional 1 or 2 feet (30-60cm) between them
will reduce any risk of further shading from neighboring plants.
Soil in shady areas can be cooler and wetter, particularly if you have heavy soil,
so before planting your fruit dig in plenty of well-rotted garden compost to help improve drainage.
Cane fruits such as raspberries and blackberries can also cope with some shade.
Again, the secret lies in ensuring there is plenty of space between canes
for both light penetration and to avoid damp, stagnant air.
Our Garden Planner makes it very easy to choose crops suitable for shadier areas.
Simply click on the Custom Filter button,
then select the 'partial shade tolerant' option, and click OK.
The selection bar now displays just those crops suitable for growing in these conditions.
Let's go ahead and choose this endive.
Click once to select it, move the cursor to where we want to grow it,
click to place, and then adjust its size and positioning using the corner handles and cursor.
So you see, there's plenty that can be grown in shade.
If you have a shady part of the garden then let us know what grows well for you -
just drop us a comment below.
And for more advice, helpful hints and gardening know-how, don't forget to subscribe.
I'll catch you next time.
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